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sasquatch69

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Everything posted by sasquatch69

  1. There are lots of little down/ups at Big Cedar, on all but the easiest trail (Dragonfly). The photo I posted is on the other green trail (I Can), and there's another blue trail (Crooked Tree) that's mostly easy but has a couple of big swings in elevation. My favorite spot in the entire trail network at BC is the northeastern part of the Ranger Loop, past Crooked Tree, because it has an incredible downhill section that opens up at the end into a big open-field valley inbetween the Escarpment hills. However, the climb out of it, even with a couple switchbacks, is brutal. I ended up walking a good chunk of it - but there's no shame in that. EDIT: Here's a video of one part of the back stretch of Ranger Loop where there's a crazy off-camber old concrete bridge that you come up on with little warning.
  2. I went 1-1A-2-3-4-5, so yeah, had to go around the landslide. I also took a photo, but didn't post because it was similar to yours.
  3. Despite the mess at RCP on Friday, I couldn't pass up the gorgeous weather, so I knocked out 8mi at Big Cedar on Saturday, another 5mi at Knob Hills on Sunday morning (it was my first time out there and was really disappointed - it didn't live up to the hype) and then more at Big Cedar yesterday afternoon with our boys. The oldest loved it and wants to go back; our youngest hated it and says he only wants to ride paved trails from now on. Sigh. (photo is one of the many climbs that sneak up on you at BC - and it's steeper than it looks here)
  4. I tried to ride 4-6 on Friday after RCP reopened, and there were still long stretches that were slip-and-slide gumbo, so I bailed out on the easement road to avoid damaging the trails. My bike got pretty trashed, though (this is after cleaning a lot out with a stick). I let it sit out in the sun for a few hours and then cleaned the rest off.
  5. I feel like a lot of *actual* current/former military folks would be disgusted by fake army's representation on that board.
  6. A longer update last night from the great Steve McCauley (former WFAA meteorologist who is now a college professor/consultant). He's a worthy follow on FB.
  7. Work and kid after-school stuff were nuts today so I couldn't cut out to get one last ride in, which was killing me. Now I don't feel quite so bad. Still, good you got out there before the freeze.
  8. Yeah, I had read about EKG so I gave a shot - not bad, only had to stop a couple times.
  9. Got five rides in this week, for the first time I can recall: -9mi sunset ride at Horseshoe (Did the full 5mi and then went back and did all but last two loops again) -6mi at Rowlett Creek on a super-quick trip over weekday lunch -5mi at Katie Jackson. Nearly bit it on the skinny at the end of the red trail, then almost ran over a hiker going the wrong way with his back to me who had his headphones turned up so loud he couldn't hear my protestations -8mi on a nice Saturday back at Horseshoe, dovetailing with a group of Scouts doing a cycling merit badge -7mi today on my first-ever visit to River Legacy. Not a lot of elevation, but nice flowy trails that allowed for decent speed. With the Arctic front coming in, who knows if I'll get any more rides in the next week or two, so it was a good week.
  10. Everything's been closed here in DFW since the weekend, so when Horseshoe reopened about 3pm yesterday I was elated - and managed to get 9mi in at dusk. It's such a great little trail, and the sand/rock mix makes for good traction when it's still tacky.
  11. I think this was the biggest surprise for me. But, really, the Trump presidency just feels like the culmination of several things that have been building for years: (1) The right-wing media ecosystem that has somehow managed to hoodwink a sizable portion of the populace into thinking that other media are not only untrustworthy, but ENEMIES OF THUH STATE. (2) A drop in basic civics knowledge (and participation) in our country. (3) A rise in people who believe what they see on "reality TV" - which led to Trump's ascendant reputation thanks to The Apprentice. I'm still just so surprised at how many folks (especially Christians) who really think he's a good man that had the country's best interests at heart. It's just such a head-scratcher.
  12. There are already a lot of parallels - and Scientologists who full-on ran with Q. https://arcdigital.media/qanon-trumped-up-scientology-c1bd72429cd6 https://medium.com/@robertbusch_89589/qanon-is-scientology-for-uneducated-people-59e6b770ccb5
  13. In the truck on the way out. We had a couple bison that hung out near our first-night campsite, but they didn't venture too close (and we admonished the scouts to leave them alone, which they did).
  14. Just found this thread. Hiking/backpacking has been another hobby I rediscovered during 2020, partly due to the pandemic and partly because of being active with my sons in their scout troop, and now prepping for a Philmont trek this summer with my oldest if things there don't get shut down again. Since there have been some questions about backpacking gear above, I've been able to accumulate a setup I'm happy with on a tight budget, via clearance sales, Amazon deals and Facebook Marketplace: Pack: Gregory Reality 70L internal frame (love it - versatile and extremely durable) Tent: Alps LYNX 1-person with floor saver (4lb, so not the lightest out there, but very durable for the $. The 2-person is really good, too, and only 1lb heavier) Bag: Teton LEEF 0* ultralight mummy-style Pad: Outdoorsman Lab ultralight inflatable Our troop did two nights at Caprock Canyon earlier this month, at the north and south primitive sites within the canyon, and ~10mi of hiking. It was fantastic - probably my best Texas state park experience ever, and not crowded at all. Temperature swings are strong (around 30* each night and up to low 60s with hot sun on the trails in the afternoon), but we were prepared.
  15. FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLL THE HEEEEEEAT BURNING YOU UP READY OR NOT!
  16. Do you think Mellow Johnny's will start carrying more than just Trek and Cannondale? Did they ever carry much of a MTB selection anyway, or mostly road bikes?
  17. Did just over 10 miles in two hours at Big Cedar just now and it was sublime. Great weather, some chunk, some hero dirt, some grass trails (because everyone likes a little grass every once in a while), lots of elevation and some beautiful views by Dallas standards. Best ride I've had in a while. Even had to walk some of the hills but I ain't mad. And at the end, there's a pavilion the church that hosts the trails built with clean restrooms - a rarity. Sorry not sorry for the photo dump, but I stopped along the way to take it in and snap a few shots, and I had to share.
  18. Tried a few new (to me) trails in DFW the past few weeks. Did Katie Jackson (which I'd ridden briefly a while ago but wanted to explore further) after a very light rain, hit a slick leafy patch right off the bat, and my rear tire caught a big root and slid sideways fast. I went down hard and wrenched my left arm back to avoid landing my full weight on it. It's been pretty sore on and off since. I finished a couple laps on the red/blue trails but that was all I could muster. Also rode Arbor Hills for the first time, which was meh due to number of people and the fact it's crammed into such a relatively small area - but I give DORBA props for their efforts there as it's got some decent TTF. The best first visits were Erwin up in McKinney, which has been covered here in previous posts and really held my interest, and Horseshoe, which was right in the sweet spot of my ability level right now (except for the "Sorry" loop which I had to walk). I rode Horseshoe today which was a welcome return to riding after a week off due to rain (thus trail closures) and cold. Hoping to get some rides in this weekend back at Big Cedar and RCP if they reopen and weather continues to hold up.
  19. Question for the mortgage folks here: We're currently just over a year into a 20yr fixed (refi) on our D/FW-area house at 3.65%. LTV ratio is 75%. We've been in the house eight years, and have good credit. I'm currently seeing online rates as low as 2.5% on 20yr right now; I wouldn't mind losing a year of progress if it means a decent monthly savings. So, my questions: - Is it worth it to do anything right now given our position? - How realistic would it be to add 20k to the loan for home improvements? Is that even a thing? I'm no expert on all this, so any advice would be appreciated.
  20. Trails all over the eastern half of Texas this weekend.
  21. I've been reading through threads on the Big Cedar and DORBA FB groups, and apparently the church is super-supportive and is fine with widespread trail use, but adjacent landowners and ONCOR have been really difficult. And there are rumors that the section of trail north of Camp Wisdom (the Highway Rim loop) is on land that has now been sold.
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